- CFP Semifinals: Six TV Networks, Multiple Offerings on ESPN App
- Nearly 40 Different Presentations across All New Year’s Six Games, including First 4K Bowl Game
ESPN will offer 10 presentations of both College Football Playoff Semifinals – through its annual CFP MegaCast production on Saturday, Dec. 28 – as the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl features No. 1 LSU vs. No. 4 Oklahoma (4 p.m. ET) and the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl matches No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Clemson (8 p.m.). The CFP Semifinals presentation will highlight multi-network productions for the entire New Year’s Six, which concludes with the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual (5 p.m.) and the Allstate Sugar Bowl (8:30 p.m.) on New Year’s Day. Surrounding the CFP Semifinals are the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic (noon) on Semifinal Saturday and the Capital One Orange Bowl on December 30 (8 p.m.).
Across all New Year’s Six games, including at least five offerings for Rose Bowl Game and Sugar Bowl, ESPN will provide fans with nearly 40 different presentations for the premier bowls. ESPN’s entire offering of the New Year’s Six is a prelude to its presentation of the College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T on Monday, Jan. 13, at 8 p.m.
Complete details regarding the CFP National Championship MegaCast offerings will be released following the CFP Semifinals.
Additional New Year’s Six Matchups:
- Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
No. 16 Memphis vs. No. 10 Penn State - Capital One Orange Bowl
No. 9 Florida vs. No. 24 Virginia - Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual
No. 6 Oregon vs. No. 8 Wisconsin - Allstate Sugar Bowl
No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 7 Baylor
Additional Announcement: ESPN’s exclusive presentation of the College Football Playoff and the New Year’s Six will include on-site studio presence across the country
ESPN’s Innovative Technology is the Backbone of MegaCast Production
The CFP Semifinals MegaCast begins with ESPN airing the traditional telecast, which features the network’s innovative technology combined with unique vantage points, providing fans with a state-of-the-art presentation. More than 50 cameras will be deployed inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. Featured in at least one semifinal will be:
- AllCam: Captures the entire field at all times
- Eight End Zone Pylon Cams: Cameras inside all eight pylons
- RefCam: Cameras affixed to the bill of the ref’s hat
- First and Ten: Cameras at multiple angles of the first down line
Alternate Presentations: MegaCast Offers Perfect Blend of Unique Camera Angles Combined with Real Time Information
Dovetailing off the main telecast will be the alternate presentations, combining those distinctive vantage points with alternate commentary, up-to-the-minute stats, analytics and more:
- Command Center(ESPN2): A multi-angle presentation, which includes up to four different vantage points at any one time, with statistics and real-time drive charts supplementing the game action.
- Film Room (ESPNU): Fans who want to watch the game the way coaches and players do will want to tune into the popular Film Room presentation. Tom Luginbill and Louis Riddick (Peach Bowl) and Emmanuel Acho and Bobby Carpenter (Fiesta Bowl) will operate the telestrator and break down game film in real time.
- Skycast (ESPNEWS): The popular view from above the action and behind the offense on most plays. This unique angle has long been one of ESPN’s alternate viewing options and is readily available on multiple games every week. New this year, replays will be shown regularly throughout the presentation.
- DataCenter (ESPN Goal Line): A perfect catch-all viewing option, as ESPN’s main telecast will be surrounded by real-time stats, analytics, social media commentary and player information.
- All-22 (ESPN App): Watch the game the same way players and coaches study film, with a vantage point high above the field of play. The angle allows for the 22 players on the field to be seen at all times, providing the ability to distinguish how plays develop.
All offerings are also available on the ESPN App
Rose Bowl Game and Sugar Bowl Feature Many of the Same Alternate Presentations; ESPN’s First 4K Bowl Telecast Debuts for Sugar Bowl
Command Center (ESPN2), Skycast (ESPN App) and All-22 (ESPN App) will also be available for the Rose Bowl Game and Sugar Bowl, as ESPN provides multi-network presentations for both bowls. For the Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl, the Skycast (ESPN App) will be available.
For the first time ever, the Sugar Bowl will be available in 4K as part of ESPN’s multi-network presentation. The Allstate Sugar Bowl brought to you in 4K by Samsung QLED will feature native 4K resolution and is available to fans who receive 4K service through Altice, Comcast or DIRECTV. This is part of a broader agreement between ESPN and Samsung — who serves as production collaborator and presenting sponsor — where the companies presented six college football games in live, native 4K during the regular season.
Multiple Commentator Options Complete CFP Semifinal MegaCast Presentations
In addition to multiple presentations, fans will be able to hear the call of the CFP Semifinals from a variety of broadcast teams:
- Main Telecast (ESPN): Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit will call the Fiesta Bowl, while Sean McDonough and Todd Blackledge team up for the Peach Bowl. ESPN will utilize reporters Maria Taylor (Clemson), Tom Rinaldi (Ohio State), Holly Rowe (LSU) and Laura Rutledge (Oklahoma) at the Fiesta and Peach Bowls, respectively. Complete details on their history with the CFP Semifinals can be found here.
- ESPN Radio (ESPN App): The broadcast is available throughout the country on more than 400 ESPN Radio stations, the ESPN App, com, SiriusXM, Apple Music, iHeartRadio and TuneIn.
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- Peach Bowl: Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Todd McShay and Molly McGrath
- Fiesta Bowl: Sean Kelley, Barrett Jones and Ian Fitzsimmons
- Hometown Audio Feed: Fans can listen to the local radio broadcast of each of the four teams, with their audio feed synced up with ESPN’s presentation. This MegaCast feed is made possible in conjunction with Learfield IMG College, Clemson Tigers Network powered by JMI Sports and LSU Sports Radio Network.
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- Clemson (ACC Network): Don Munson, Tim Bourret, Brad Scott, and Reggie Merriweather
- LSU (SEC Network): Chris Blair, Doug Moreau and Gordy Rush
- Ohio State (ESPN App): Paul Keels, Jim Lachey
- Oklahoma (ESPN App): Toby Rowland, Teddy Lehman, Merv Johnson, Chris Plank and Gabe Ikard
- ESPN Deportes (ESPN App): Spanish-language call with Ciro Procuna and Raul Allegre (Peach Bowl) and Eduardo Varela and Pablo Viruega (Fiesta Bowl)
Further details regarding ACC Network’s (https://bit.ly/2PBKITg) and SEC Network’s additional coverage (https://bit.ly/SECNCFP19) surrounding their respective conference’s CFP Semifinals were also announced.
Additional New Year’s Six Game Broadcasters
- Herbstreit Calls 13th Rose Bowl Game, Adds to His Current Record
Fowler, Herbstreit, Taylor and Rinaldi will head to Pasadena following the CFP Semifinal to call the Rose Bowl Game. For Herbstreit, the Ducks-Badgers matchup will be his 13th Rose Bowl, adding to his current record for the most of any game analyst. As a duo, this is Fowler and Herbstreit’s fifth Rose Bowl game together. On the sidelines, Rinaldi (Wisconsin) is working his sixth Rose Bowl, tying him with Todd Harris for the most Rose Bowls as a reporter, while Taylor (Oregon) is reporting on her third Rose Bowl. For ESPN Radio, Bob Wischusen, Dan Orlovsky and Allison Williams will call the game. ESPN Deportes will also televise the action from Pasadena.
- Blackledge Broadcasts Eighth Sugar Bowl, Rowe Reports on Seventh; McDonough on Second Consecutive TV Call
McDonough, Blackledge and Rowe travel to New Orleans for the Allstate Sugar Bowl, as the trio calls the game for their second consecutive year as a team. For Blackledge, the game marks his eighth Sugar Bowl and for Rowe, her seventh. Prior to calling the game on TV, McDonough served as the play-by-play for ESPN Radio. This year, Sean Kelley, Barrett Jones and Ian Fitzsimmons call the game on ESPN Radio. ESPN Deportes will also televise the action from New Orleans.
Commentators for the Cotton Bowl and the Orange Bowl were announced earlier this month, with complete details here.
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Media contact: Derek Volner at 860-384-9986; Derek.Volner@ESPN.com and @DerekVolner
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